Hot cleaning system for surfaces

ABSTRACT

This invention is a new system of surface hot cleaning comprising a handle with a handle grip provided with a lever, a water and/or detergent tank, a pump and a brush. The brush is provided with a swivel head hosting the water pipe and an electric cable for the power supply of a heating panel equipped with a heating element and a thermostat for temperature regulation. Said heating panel is in direct contact with the cleaning cloth and aims at warming up the cloth, which is moistened by the water flowing from the pump. The cloth acquires a high temperature ideal for cleaning and sanitising surfaces. Moreover, the system guarantees the fast drying of the floor after cleaning

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is the U.S. National Stage of PCT/IT2013/000152 filed 30 May 2013, which claims the benefit of pending Italian Patent Application No. TV2012A000106 filed 31 May 2012, the entire teachings of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent concerns surface cleaning devices in general and in particular it refers to a system for the hot cleaning of surfaces provided with a heating device for the cloth in microfibre and/or other material suitable for surface cleaning installed on the support of the same cloth.

BACKGROUND

From EP 1795109 is known a steam generator comprising an external casing with an opening that enables the inner space to communicate with the space outside. Moreover, the steam generator can be equipped with a feeding element that supplies water to said inner space, with a heating element foreseen in the opening to generate steam, an exhaust pipe whose one end is connected to the outside space to discharge steam, and a means for the control of the steam discharge on the other end to open and close the pipe outlet depending on the presence or absence of the steam to be discharged.

From EP 0842631 A is known a steam-operated cleaning device comprising a boiler equipped with heating means, steam release means connected to said boiler, and a cleaning tool comprising a foot and a handle so that said boiler and said steam release means are positioned in said foot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is that of creating a surface hot cleaning system having a different construction from the one disclosed by the state of the art, i.e. EP 1795109 A and EP 0842631 A.

The special characteristics of the invention can be summed up in the following advantages:

-   -   Cleaning and sanitising action guaranteed by the constant and         high temperature of the cloth.     -   Fast drying of the surface.     -   No scale build-up and therefore unlimited duration.     -   Remarkable energy saving—about one third of the installed power         in comparison with any other steam device.     -   Limited production costs, if compared to the existing systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As an explanation, without limitations, of the characteristics of this invention, an example of realisation of the system is now described with reference to the drawings enclosed:

(FIG. 1) shows the entire invention with the handle grip (1) provided with a handle (2), the water tank (3), the pump (4), the brush (5) comprising the water distribution chamber, the heating panel and the cleaning cloth;

(FIG. 2 ref 7) shows the section of the water distribution chamber, (FIG. 2 ref 8) shows the water pipes going into the same chamber;

(FIG. 3) shows the heating panel in cross sectional view and from above. The heating panel (9) hosts the heating element (14), (FIG. 3 ref. 11) shows the holes on the heating panel through which the water flows.

(FIG. 3 ref 12) shows the thermostat for temperature regulation;

(FIG. 4 ref 16) shows the cleaning cloth in cross sectional view and from above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

From the tank (3) the water is sucked by means of a manual and/or electric pump (4) with pre-set suction quantity and then the water flows through a pipe (19) to the distribution chamber (7).

Said chamber is equipped with pipes for water flow and distribution (8), through the holes of the heating panel (11) to reach the cleaning cloth (16).

The heating panel consists of a metal element, preferably aluminium (9), which hosts a heating element (14). The panel is provided with holes for water flow (11). Said panel is equipped with a thermostat (12) suitably calibrated that keeps the heating panel temperature constant at the pre-set degree.

The water quantity is regulated by a manual and/or electric pump (4) controlled by the lever of the handle grip (6) by means of a connection element between the lever and the pump (22) and the water flows in through a pipe (19) and gets into the distribution chamber (FIG. 2). Said chamber is provided with pipes (8) suitable to make the water flow through the holes of the heating panel (11) to the cleaning cloth (FIG. 4).

The cleaning cloth (FIG. 4) is in direct contact with the entire lower surface of the heating panel (10), which warms it up to the pre-set temperature by means of the thermostat (12) positioned on the heating panel.

Since the entire surface of the cleaning cloth is in direct contact with the heating panel, the cloth gets to a very high temperature around 100° C. and the water coming from the holes on the heating panel moistens and goes through the cleaning cloth, thus acquiring the temperature of the same heating panel.

Thanks to this process, the cloth cleaning and sanitising action on the floor is extremely effective and homogeneous because it is carried out at a temperature around 100° C. kept constant by the heating panel provided with a thermostat that adjusts the temperature, whose action guarantees that even the most difficult dirt is removed as well as the sanitising action that eliminates germs and bacteria.

The total lack of scale build-up insures unlimited life to the device unlike all other steam systems that cannot be used after a short period of time because of scale build-up.

Energy saving amounts to about one third in comparison to any other device thanks to the fact that the entire surface of the cleaning cloth is warmed up, i.e. where it is actually necessary and there is no loss of heat, unlike the temperature produced by steam that cannot keep its temperature and therefore is less effective because it has to get through cold surfaces. The system production costs are limited because it consists of a few elements unlike any other device for steam generation, whose costs are much higher because of the great number of components and their assembly. 

1. A system for surface hot cleaning comprising a handle provided with a handle grip and a brush with a swivel head, comprising a water distribution chamber, a heating panel consisting of a metal element, which hosts a heating element and is provided with holes for water flow, and a cleaning cloth and at least one thermostat for temperature regulation of the heating panel, said brush having a central opening for a water pipe to supply water to the heating panel through the holes and an electric cable for supplying power to the heating panel, wherein the handle is provided with a water tank, a manual and/or electric pump, and a lever to control the pump, through a connection element that connects the lever to the pump to pump out water from the tank and convey it to the distribution chamber of the brush, and to the cleaning cloth through the holes, and wherein the cleaning cloth is in direct contact with the entire lower surface of the heating panel that warms it up to the pre-set temperature adjusted by the thermostat, so that the water moistens the cleaning cloth and by flowing through it acquires the same temperature as the heating panel.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the metal element comprises aluminium.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the thermostat comprises a preset temperature and is set to keep the heating panel constant at the preset temperature.
 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the preset temperature is approximately 100° C.
 5. The system of claim 2 wherein the thermostat comprises a preset temperature and is set to keep the heating panel constant at the preset temperature.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the preset temperature is approximately 100° C.
 7. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising; a handle comprising; a grip, a water tank for holding water, and an actuator for releasing the water from the tank; a housing connected to the handle by a swivel joint and comprising; a water distribution chamber, a heating panel comprising one or more water outlet holes communicating with the distribution chamber, and a cleaning cloth adjacent an underside surface of the heating panel and disposed adjacent the one or more water outlet holes; and a conduit providing fluid communication from the water tank to the distribution chamber such that activation of the actuator causes flow of water from the water tank through the conduit to the distribution chamber and out of the one or more water outlet holes to moisten the cleaning cloth; wherein the heating panel heats the water flowing there-through such the water from the one or more water outlet holes and the moistened cleaning cloth are heated.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a pump, wherein actuation of the pump causes the flow of water.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the heating panel is metal and comprises a heating element.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the heating panel further comprises a thermostat adapted to cooperate with the heating element to maintain the heating panel at a constant pre-selected temperature.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the constant pre-selected temperature is 100° C.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the conduit provides fluid communication from the water tank to the distribution chamber through the swivel joint.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the housing further comprises a brush.
 14. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the heating panel is metal and comprises a heating element.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the heating panel further comprises a thermostat adapted to cooperate with the heating element to maintain the heating panel at a constant pre-selected temperature.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the constant pre-selected temperature is 100° C.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the housing further comprises a brush.
 18. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the conduit provides fluid communication from the water tank to the distribution chamber through the swivel joint.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the housing further comprises a brush.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the housing further comprises a brush. 